Independence Day
by DragonDancer5150
Summary: The idea of a day to honor and celebrate independence resonates with more than just Americans.  Or humans for that matter.  G1 cartoon continuity, sometime in Season 1. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Well, this . . . so totally did not turn out as I'd originally thought it might. It took a few turns on me along the way and somehow morphed into a very different animal by the end. Still, I think I like how it turned out. I hope you do too!

Also . . . some of the historical facts may be a little or even a LOT off. Normally, I'd try to research this to make sure I've got my facts straight, but . . . since this is in spur-of-the-moment dialogue, I decided to go with what I remember or _think_ I remember off the top of my head, just as Spike and Sparkplug are doing. So yes, some of it may be wrong, but while I normally welcome critique, please don't feel the need to correct me in this instance if I am in fact wrong on something. Thanks.

Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Independence Day"  
>by DragonDancer5150<p>

Chapter 1

A small collection of Autobots stood in the command center going over some of the details of the last mission, seeking ways it could have been prevented in order to better respond to the next time – there was always a next time with Megatron – when a startling _boom_ sounded over the loudspeakers from somewhere nearby.

"Wheeljack?" Ironhide asked on reflex, looking in the direction of the sound.

A huff to his right and a hand on his shoulder brought his attention back around. "I'm standin' right _here_, 'Hide. Have been for six breems."

The security senior gave the engineer what might have passed for a sheepish look and a shrug. "Habit. Can ya blame me?" Then he turned to Sunstreaker, who was currently stationed at Teletraan I. "Sunny, what _was_ that?"

The yellow Lambo warrior had already deployed one of the ship's external camera-drones to a point some fifty meters from the ship. In the foreground, Bumblebee was sitting up from where he'd apparently tackled Sparkplug and Spike. An impressive plume of smoke rose from the ground behind them. Smirking, Sunstreaker turned to the group. "I gotta agree with Ironhide, Wheeljack. I'm almost having a hard time believing you _weren't_ behind that. Wasn't big, but it was still pretty impressive."

Wheeljack folded his arms. "Cute, Sunny. So what was it?"

Ironhide wanted to know too, but since Sunstreaker looked so unconcerned, he knew it couldn't have been Decepticon activity, so-

"Guys, it wasn't supposed to do _that_, was it?" Bumblebee's voice sounded slightly tinny over the loudspeaker from the camera's microphone.

"No." Sparkplug groaned softly as he pulled himself up to his knees. "No, it wasn't supposed to do that."

"It should have shot up into the sky at least a good fifty feet before exploding," Spike commented.

"_What_ should have shot up into the sky first?" a resonant voice wanted to know, coming in over the speaker before the camera caught sight of the mech who owned it.

Ironhide sighed. "Better go see what's up," he muttered. "Wheeljack, with me."

* * *

><p>Bumblebee winced when he heard his commander's voice, then straightened and turned to face the powerful mech. "Optimus Prime."<p>

"They're called fireworks!" Spike chirped in excitement. "The Fourth of July is coming up, and Dad and I thought it'd be nice to show you guys what we like to do for the Fourth."

Sparkplug stepped forward, clarifying, "Independence Day, July Fourth – the day a written declaration was signed by the Founding Fathers of our country to make ourselves autonomous from the British. We were considered a colony before that, but the Declaration of Independence stated that we would no longer be under British rule and instead be our own country. That Declaration is still to this day one of our most important historical documents."

"The Declaration of Independence," Optimus echoed with a rumble, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. "Yes, I have heard of this document. It was part of the start of your Revolutionary War, was it not? The Americans' first war for freedom."

"Yeah, that's right!" Sparkplug nodded. "Today, we traditionally celebrate with barbeques and family gatherings and a fireworks display."

"And since you guys should probably stay close to the base in case of a Decepticon attack," Spike added, "we thought we'd bring a display to _you_!"

"I see." Optimus nodded, then focused on Bumblebee, though he was still addressing all three. "And the explosion just now?"

"A test run," Bumblebee offered, shifting uncomfortably, "and . . . I asked them to show me one."

"You should have warned us, Bumblebee," his commander admonished.

"I radioed Sunstreaker and let him know."

"You could have set the whole area on fire, Bee!" Hound fussed, arriving from the patrol he'd been scouting in the area.

Spike put up his hands in a placating gesture. "We chose a cleared spot to set the launch tube. We made sure even if it did detonate on the ground, it wouldn't catch anything on fire."

Just then, Ironhide and Wheeljack arrived from the Ark to join the gathering. Ironhide rolled up close before he transformed, clapping Bumblebee on the shoulder. "Takin' after your creator now, Bee?" he teased.

Bumblebee huffed through his vents. "It wasn't _supposed_ to explode on the ground. Must have been defective."

Ironhide snickered, throwing a look over his shoulder at Wheeljack. "Yep, takin' after his creator all right."

Wheeljack shrugged. "At least he comes by it honestly?"

"Guys…" the Minibot scout complained.

"What exactly are your plans for these, Sparkplug?" Optimus asked.

Sparkplug grinned and looked up at Wheeljack. "You remember me telling you a few weeks ago about fireworks?"

Bumblebee watched his creator's optics brighten in excitement. "Ya found 'em?"

"Yep, sure did!"

Bumblebee wasn't going to be the one to tell his creator – especially not in front of Optimus Prime and the others – that they'd had to go all the way to Primm on the other side of the border with Nevada to get them . . . because fireworks, the scout learned only just this afternoon, were illegal in California without special permits.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I am by far no expert on the Decepticons, so I make no promise that TC and Warp are IC, though I did try my best.

Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Independence Day"  
>by DragonDancer5150<p>

Chapter 2

"How's it coming?"

Wheeljack paused in his work to look down at his human friend. Sparkplug hadn't waited for an answer before starting up the ladder to the table's surface. Wheeljack had recently constructed scaffolding around his workstations to help accommodate his fellow engineer, which Sparkplug had appreciated. "Never heard back from that guy at Disneyland, but the Sea World technician finally wrote me back late last night. He couldn't gimme specifics, of course – trade secrets or somethin' like that – but he told me they use a special control system ta spark the fuses. Control system's programmed with the calculations for how long it takes a fuse ta ignite a rocket, send it up, an' have it explode, an' triggers the sparks in the fuses enough in advance of the musical cues they wanna hit that the fireworks go off in time with the music."

Sparkplug reached the catwalk at the edge of the table and looked over the device Wheeljack was working on. He nodded. "Makes sense they'd use an electronic system."

"Yeah, it does. I just . . . " Wheeljack's voice dropped some, waxing pensive. "Ya know . . . I never thought'a usin' explosives for _entertainment_."

Sparkplug reached over and patted the back of one large, metal hand. "You've always had other things to have to concentrate on."

Wheeljack nodded. He'd confided in his human friend about a lot of his past in late-night chats over various projects. The engineer had never gotten to properly finish his schooling before the war overtook the university, then his life. He'd finished his education with the Autobots under the tutelage of one of the best engineers they'd had . . . until a Decepticon raid had killed him. Wheeljack had worked hard to teach himself the rest. Though he did often indulge himself with small, personal projects on his free time, even those tended to focus on the war and how he could protect and defend his friends. Pure entertainment just wasn't something he could often afford to spend time and effort on. At least not before coming to Earth.

"Anyway," the engineer murmured, shaking off the pall, "I think I've just about got everythin' ready. Just makin' some last adjustments on the control center here before I start programmin' in the timin'."

"Great! How can I help?"

* * *

><p>Late the next night, Thundercracker was enjoying the rush of air over his wings. Skywarp had talked Starscream into letting him go see what the humans were up to. Something about fireworks, which he'd apparently overheard from a report Soundwave had given to Megatron. With the Victory sunk barely fifty miles south and west of the Channel Islands, the Decepticons had learned months ago to ignore the colorful, nightly explosions from a point just off the edge of the mainland, from some human entertainment center called Disneyland. But tonight was apparently some kind of special night for the humans, and there were supposed to be more of these "harmless" displays of fireworks all over. Skywarp had made enough of a pest of himself about wanting to go see them that even Megatron had all but threatened him if he <em>didn't<em> leave. And of course, to keep him out of trouble, they'd sent Thundercracker to keep an optic on him.

The blue Seeker couldn't say he could complain. It got him out of the base where the claustrophobia had been starting to get to him. And he was flying. What more could he ask for?

The pair had flown over Disneyland and several other major human centers, passing lazy circles high over the land as they watched numerous sites toss up their explosives with varying degrees of finesse. Thundercracker idly wondered how long it would be before the humans' military pinged the two "bogie" fliers and demanded they get out of American airspace. Not that Thundercracker had any inclination to oblige them. When the expected radio contact never came, he could only figure it was because there was just too much aerial interference to pick up the two lone jets.

"Hey, TC!" Skywarp started suddenly with that edge of excitement that Thundercracker knew too well. "Let's go see what the Autobots are up to."

The blue Seeker let a buzz of long-suffering disinterest sound through his comm-link. "If _they're_ having any explosions, 'Warp, it's probably just that idiot inventor of theirs." Not that the Autobots' chief mechanical engineer was actually dumb or careless. Even Megatron himself knew to respect the eccentric inventor's capabilities and more than once had sent them to steal whatever he was working on in order to turn it to their own benefit. But that didn't mean they had to respect the inventor himself.

Skywarp laughed. "Well, if he's doing our job for us, I wanna see it. C'mon!" He banked, veering a little south from their current position.

With a sigh, Thundercracker dipped his right wingtip and followed.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Independence Day"  
>by DragonDancer5150<p>

Chapter 3

Within minutes, the two Seekers were closing on the south tip of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. And sure enough, Thundercracker spotted a plume of red, white, and blue sparks. Another point of light, indicating the next rocket, was already climbing fast from the launch site below.

"Hey, TC, watch this!"

"'Warp, what are you-"

_VOP!_

" . . . doing," the blue Seeker concluded to no one in particular, his wingmate having already disappeared with a warp jump.

* * *

><p>"Prime, we've got incoming!"<p>

Gears's sudden voice in Optimus's audio managed to make the great mech flinch before he recovered. Optics scanning the sky, he raised a hand to his left finial for talk-back. "Report, Gears."

Gears had drawn the short lot and been left in charge of Teletraan I while the rest of the Autobots were outside enjoying the music, fireworks, and laser light show, courtesy of Wheeljack and Sparkplug. "Two incoming jets with Decepticon energy signatures. Teletraan One's identified Thundercracker and-"

Optimus didn't hear the rest of Gears's words, reacting – as everyone else was – to the sudden arrival of Skywarp zipping out from the center of the most recent blossom of firework sparks, a bright gold sphere from which the Seeker appeared to have been born. The entire gathering dove for cover amid the rocks and foliage of the area, but shockingly, the Seeker didn't start shooting, merely veered off and disappeared with a loud pop. Optimus looked to where Wheeljack was already scrambling back over to his control device to try to shut it down, but amid blaring music, another fuse was lit, another rocket shot up into the air . . . and with another plume of sparks, bright green this time, the prankster Seeker shot from the center again as if released from imprisonment within the firecracker itself. Optimus swore he heard laughter before Skywarp teleported a second time without attacking.

The Autobots recovered quickly, weapons drawn and trained on the sky for the enemy's next appearance, but their commander could only resist the urge to plant his faceplates into the palm of one hand as he guessed what was happening. Instead, he strode out from his own cover, gesturing broadly at his mechs. "Stand down! Everyone, stand down! Hold your fire! Wheeljack, get that system shut down."

"I'm tryin', Prime!" Wheeljack was typing furiously at the control panel.

"Just sever the line, 'Jack!" Without waiting for the engineer to do so, Ironhide leveled his pistol on the cable that ran from the control box out to the collection of launch tubes just as another fuse was lit in time to the music.

"No! Ironhide, don't!" Sparkplug yelled, but too late.

Ironhide's shot blew the cable neatly in two, power flaring both ways from the target site. One shot a surge of power through the control box, making Wheeljack flinch back with his arms crossed protectively in front of him. The other crackled down the length of the cable to the launch tubes, igniting the rest of the fuses prematurely.

Optimus watched in dismay as Skywarp flew from the center of the expected firework only to be pelted repeatedly by the unexpected ones, some bouncing off his armor before exploding but others detonating against his wings and fuselage. Likely, the Seeker had been in the process of calculating and initiating his teleport and never saw the rest be ignited to know to dodge them. Optimus cursed in an undertone as the Decepticon Seeker wobbled in his flight and rapidly lost altitude, dropping out of the air some twenty meters away. "Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Wheeljack!" he barked, pointing. "Force fields and fire suppression. Put him out before that fire can spread! Ratchet, go with them. See if Skywarp needs medical attention."

* * *

><p>Thundercracker swore hotly as he watched his wingmate go down. Skywarp had been flying low enough in order to catch the fireworks plumes that, over the open comm and between teleports, Thundercracker thought he'd heard Prime's stay orders and the argument to shut down the firing mechanisms. So the attack on his wingmate had been in error?<p>

Not that it mattered. The blue fighter jet flexed his wing flaps and dropped his nose, descending rapidly on the Autobots. Unfortunately, Skywarp had gone down only meters from the enemy position – Thundercracker couldn't get to him before the Autobots had him closely surrounded, blocking the blue Seeker from strafing them to get them to back off. Unlike others of his faction, he was unwilling to fire on an ally. He was not about to risk his unconscious wingmate.

Miraculously, the Autobots did not appear to be attacking Skywarp – no one was firing, and only their medic was close enough to do any unarmed damage. Neither did they open fire on Thundercracker as he closed on them, though they were certainly prepared to. The blue Seeker pulled up, wing flaps flaring. He transformed and dropped the last few meters to the ground, arms extended so his rifles covered the closest Autobots. "Release him," he demanded. He frowned inwardly at the tense note of his own voice, but he couldn't deny it – he would fight if that's what it took, but he knew he could not take on the entire group alone, especially not with Optimus Prime himself standing there.

Prime, however, was not bearing his fearsome ion rifle nor any other visible weapon as he moved forward through the ranks of his men. "Easy, Thundercracker. Skywarp has sustained quite a bit of damage. Ratchet is working on him now."

The medic, Ratchet, sat back with a shake of his head and shifted to look over his shoulder. "Need to get him back to the med-bay, Prime. I don't want to open him up out here-"

"_No!_" The shot of something akin to panic startled even Thundercracker as the reaction jumped from his vocalizer of its own accord. Besides being a part of his trine – which in itself had a great deal of meaning to a Seeker – Skywarp was the closest thing to a friend that the blue jet-warrior had. Letting these Autobots take him into their med-bay meant letting them take him into their base . . . and it'd be a short walk from the med-bay to the brig. If they didn't just drag his sorry chassis there to start with. The Seeker shifted, keeping his weapons trained on the nearest threats. "Give him to me. I'll take him back to the Victory for repairs." He held no illusion that they'd actually do so, nor was he sure how he'd manage his part, but . . . what choice did he have?

Ratchet huffed and stood to face him more fully. "Look, I get the 'can't let the enemy take my buddy', Thundercracker, but if you wanna come over here, I'll _show_ you where a vital coupling got shoved deeper into his substructure where it doesn't belong, and if the amount of energon he's leaking is any indication, you don't have _time_ to take him back to your own base."

"I am sorry that your trinemate was injured, Thundercracker," Prime rumbled in that conciliatory tone that the Seeker found so irritating. "I swear to you that it was an accident. If you'll stand down, you may come with him to the med-bay and see for yourself that he is properly cared for. If you do not give us reason to, no one will hinder or harm you." He glanced at his mechs to make sure they were listening. Many looked decidedly unhappy – or at the very least, uncomfortable – with that order, but Thundercracker had dealt with these mechs for long enough to recognize that Prime was a mech of his word and that the others would obey him even if they strongly disagreed. Unlike his own faction.

"I will not be taken _prisoner_," he asserted even as he began to slowly relax his stance.

"Give us no reason to," Prime reiterated, "and you will not be. I don't know why you _are_ here, but I recognize that if Skywarp had meant to attack us, he would have."

"Thundercracker," Ratchet grated, glancing down at his patient, "I don't know if we're running out of time for him, but I don't want to find out the hard way any more than you do. Now stand down and let us help him!"

Skywarp chose that moment to begin to reboot, though he seemed heavily disoriented. "O-oww . . . TC . . . " His voice was weak and riddled with pain.

Something twisted in Thundercracker at the thought of losing his wingmate. "If he doesn't make it, medic . . . "

"He'll make it."

There was a stubborn certainty in Ratchet's tone and stance that Thundercracker found oddly reassuring. He nodded and lowered his arms, rifles powering down.

* * *

><p>x<p>

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, yes, I realize, well after I'd committed to the idea, that fireworks of the size Joe Shmoe can buy on the corner would not normally be enough to damage a Cybertronian. I tried to think how to fix this – and normally I would – but this wasn't ever meant to be one of my more "serious" fics, anyway. For G1, it's<em> canon<em> for wacky crap to happen to everyone, on both sides, and have it be more effective than it should have, so for this, I decided to just go ahead and run with it. Yes, I'm aware it's a big plot flaw, but I wrote this for pure fun, so I'm not going to worry about it. We'll say close proximity and some seriously lucky strikes to key seams and other weak points are what did the job. :grins:


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Independence Day"  
>by DragonDancer5150<p>

Chapter 4

An hour later, Wheeljack finished closing up Skywarp's access panels while Ratchet put away the last of his tools. Thundercracker had been hovering the entire time, to the point that Ratchet had to push him back more than once, threatening to have Ironhide – who was stationed at the door – physically remove him if he didn't let the medic do his job. To his credit, the looming Seeker did as told.

For his part, Wheeljack had kept his vocalizer silent and done his work, assisting his best friend as he'd done for countless vorns now. He was just thankful that Thundercracker had allowed them to knock Skywarp back out with signal suppressant. The work had promised to be painful and they didn't need the Seeker – either Seeker – reacting defensively on reflex. The choices had been to knock the flier out or restrain him. Thundercracker had refused to see his trinemate bound down by an Autobot. To be honest, Wheeljack couldn't say he blamed him.

"Well?" Thundercracker asked after a tense moment.

Ratchet threw him a glance over his shoulder. "He should regain consciousness any minute. He'd be best to take it easy for a day maybe, but he'll be fine."

Though the blue Seeker obviously tried to hide it, Wheeljack caught the look of relief that crossed his face.

Skywarp stirred just then, groaning as he shifted to sit up. "Ow . . . what happened?" He onlined his optics, which instantly went bright with alarm as they took in the room and landed on Wheeljack. He brought up an arm as its rifle whirred to life.

Wheeljack backpedaled fast, and both Ratchet and Ironhide started to close in from where they were standing, but Thundercracker was already right there, grabbing and yanking down on his arm. "'Warp, stop! You're fine. Power down, now."

Skywarp nearly wilted with relief. "TC! Where . . . where are we?" The tone of his voice and the look he threw around the room said he knew, or guessed, and hoped he was wrong.

Thundercracker drew a deep cycle of air through his vents, also turning to face the other three. "In the Autobots' Ark, in the med-bay. You were injured and needed medical attention." His stance next to the berth was a protective one, and the question that hung with the thick tension in the air was clear.

The work was done, and Skywarp would be okay. What was to be done with the two Decepticons now?

Wheeljack glanced at Ironhide, who by the scowl on his face would have one of several weapons out and ready in a sparkpulse if either Seeker so much as twitched. For himself, Wheeljack had subspaced his shoulder cannon for the surgery, but he could bring it back out fairly quickly. He sincerely hoped, however, that he didn't have to.

Ratchet merely stepped between Ironhide and Thundercracker. "If either one of you tears up my med-bay, I _will_ take it out on your hides. Both of you." To Wheeljack's surprise, he watched Thundercracker relent – some – at the words, and Ratchet nodded, turning more fully to Ironhide. "Let Optimus know that-"

"-that Skywarp's awake." Ironhide nodded. "Already done. He's on his way."

At the words, both Seekers tensed again. Thundercracker's optics narrowed. "I was promised that we would not be taken prisoner."

"No, he promised that _you_ wouldn't be taken prisoner," Ironhide clarified.

Thundercracker growled. "And Skywarp?"

Ratchet grunted dismissively. "Could leave right now, if he chose to. I checked his warp engines, just to be sure, and they're fine."

It was Skywarp's turn to get defensive. "Not without Thundercracker!"

"No one is going anywhere," Optimus interjected as he strode in through the door. "At least not right away."

Wheeljack admittedly relaxed at the arrival of his Prime even as he watched both Seekers go positively rigid. Skywarp scrambled off the repair berth to face the powerful mech on his own two feet, though Thundercracker had to steady him for just an instant before he managed to recover.

Thundercracker snarled. "You are a mech of your word, Optimus Prime! I do not like you and I do not agree with your views, but I do know that much about you. You gave your _word of honor_!"

Optimus raised a placating hand, his voice even. "And I have not broken it, Thundercracker. I just want to talk." His gaze shifted to Skywarp. "I recognize that you were not attacking us earlier, Skywarp, and I do not expect you to believe me, but I promise you that it had not been our intention to attack you either. There was an accident with the control mechanism for the fireworks while we were trying to power it down so that they _didn't_ fire on you." Skywarp looked to Thundercracker for confirmation, and seemed to accept Optimus's explanation when the other replied with a terse nod. Optimus continued. "Why are you here? What were you after?"

Skywarp shrugged. "Just looking for some fun. We'd heard the humans would be blowing off explosives, and we wanted to see."

"_You_ wanted to see," Thundercracker corrected with a grimace of irritation.

"Whatever. We were in the area and thought we'd come see what you guys were up to." He glanced at Wheeljack, jabbing a thumb his direction. "Wondered if your Mr. Boom was making a wreck of the place now that he had an excuse to."

Wheeljack bristled but kept his silence at a look from Optimus.

"And teleporting into the middle of our fireworks display?" the Prime wanted to know.

Thundercracker huffed, turning his grimace fully on his trinemate. "His usual idiotic impulsiveness."

"Shut up, TC." Skywarp threw the other a matching glare – though it had barely half the strength of the blue jet's – before turning back to Optimus with a shrug. "Had an idea, wanted to see if I could pull it off." He grinned. "And I did! Until that . . . malfunction of yours." He threw another look at Wheeljack.

Wheeljack stiffened again. "Listen, pal, that was _not_ my fault! That was-"

"Wheeljack." Optimus didn't raise his voice, but the admonishment had just enough edge to it to quiet the engineer.

Wheeljack subsided with a bit of a flinch, glancing at Ironhide. The other had the grace to meet his look with one of silent apology. They could discuss what had happened later. But for now, the moment called for solidarity in the face of opponents.

"So you were . . . essentially playing with us." Optimus's tone was something of a question, but in that way that said he thought he understood the situation correctly and just wanted confirmation.

Skywarp shrugged again. "Yeah, basically. Seemed like fun at the time."

Thundercracker visibly repressed the urge to plant his face into one hand in long-suffering reaction. Instead, he focused on Optimus. "We have established that we did not come here to harm you, and you have righted the harm done to us. Now keep your word."

Optimus studied the two for a beat longer, then nodded. "Very well. This way."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Independence Day"  
>by DragonDancer5150<p>

Chapter 5

Thundercracker followed the Autobot leader a step ahead of his wingmate, all sensors on alert for any hint of betrayal, but the corridors remained empty of anyone save the present group – him and Skywarp following Prime and Ironhide, with Ratchet and Wheeljack behind them. Thundercracker couldn't help but guess that had been by design, some silent command to keep the way clear to avoid confrontations. Soon enough, his sensors picked up fresh air currents as they stepped into a main cargo bay that yawned permanently open from the underside of the ship into a shallow cavern that led outside. A moment later, the six mechs stood under the open canopy of stars.

The blue Seeker turned to Optimus Prime. He had to be sure. "You're truly just going to let us go? Just like that. Why?"

"Wouldja _rather_ we take ya to the brig?" Ironhide asked with a scowl. "Just the two'a you alone have done enough damage in the past ta-"

"Easy, old friend." Prime laid a hand on the other's shoulder, but his optics never left the Seekers. "Do you know what day it is today?"

That had been far from an expected question, and Thundercracker had to pause to hide his surprise, snorting as he crossed his arms in disdain. "By what calendar? The humans'? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I know it's a day – a night – for more than just a few places to shoot off a lot of fireworks," Skywarp commented, looking just as confused.

"Today is July the Fourth. For the humans of this country, it is a holiday, called Independence Day – the day an event took place that was the first step on the path of their first fight for freedom from their then-oppressors." Optimus fixed his gaze on them, making sure he had their attention. "I will not dishonor it by taking captive two who came to us, essentially, in peace." He glanced at Ironhide before continuing. "It is true that you two have fought against us for a long, long time, and Skywarp, had you been shot down in combat, I would not hesitate to have your warp engines removed and you put in the brig after repairs had been made. However, that was not the case." He sighed softly. "It is no secret that I do not want this war, Decepticons, though I will fight for what I believe is right. Freedom. It is the right of all sentient beings, and I will not see that taken wrongfully from anyone. I will not take advantage of an accident that was our fault. And not on a night like this. Thundercracker, Skywarp . . . you are free to go."

Thundercracker searched the Autobot's faceplates for any sign of betrayal and found none. Finally, he offered a very small nod, his voice curt. "Thank you. 'Warp, let's go."

"Actually . . . hang on, TC." Skywarp's optics had locked on the engineer. "Hey, Wheeljack, an astro-second?" He waved and stepped off to one side.

Wheeljack gave his companions a confused and rather apprehensive look before cautiously crossing to meet with the Seeker in private. Thundercracker could only try to guess at what his wingmate had in mind, the misgivings in his manifold growing strangely heavier at a snicker from the Autobot engineer as he seemed to warm considerably to whatever idea Skywarp was presenting to him. When Wheeljack pulled a small something out of subspace and handed it to Skywarp, Thundercracker was officially concerned.

* * *

><p>The two fighter jets adjusted their trajectory to sail into the landing bay of the docking needle that had risen from the depths of the sea to take them home, and Thundercracker had yet to get out of his wingmate what it was that Wheeljack had given him, only getting giddy snickers over his comm in reply.<p>

Starscream was waiting for them at the base of the needle as the two emerged from the elevator. By his folded arms and the scowl on his tilted faceplates, Thundercracker could guess that they were in for one of their trine leader's usual lectures about his leadership and how they were to report in regularly so he knew where they were, and whatever else he decided to harangue them with. "Well, well, you two certainly took your sweet time getting back. Have fun?"

One thing Thundercracker _had_ managed to get out of his wingmate was an agreement that they were _not_ going to tell their trine leader – or anyone else – what had really happened. He shrugged nonchalantly. "There were a lot of different displays to check out. It took time."

"Hey, Starscream!" Skywarp chirped before the other could retort to Thundercracker's words or the lack of proper respect in his tone or whatever else he might have chosen to jump on. "I brought ya back somethin'."

The prospect of a gift mollified their trine leader at least long enough for him to accept the little bundle Skywarp pulled from subspace and dropped in his palm. Starscream picked up the strange package between thumb and forefinger, studying it. "What is it?"

Producing a tiny tool, Skywarp darted a hand in to light the fuse on the back of the package, close to the near end. Before Starscream could react more than to drop his hand down away from his optics, the bundle exploded, popping with a sharp bang and a shower of bright golden sparkles. It was apparently a much smaller version of the fireworks that had taken down Skywarp.

The black and purple Seeker shrieked with laughter. "Happy Fourth of July, Starscream!" And he vanished with a _VOP_!

Starscream didn't move for several seconds, his optics blinking and recalibrating. His face and hand were coated in black soot. Thundercracker threw up his hands when his trine leader rounded on him. "I have no idea where he got that, Starscream."

The trine leader's face contorted with rage and he whirled around, taking off down the corridor. "SKYWARP!"

Thundercracker shook his head and turned to head for the safety – and sanity – of his own quarters. He made a mental note, however, to figure out how to get an anonymous message to Wheeljack without Soundwave finding out. He had to thank the mech for the stunned, blackened, and utterly ridiculous image of his trine leader.


	6. Epilogue

Disclaimer – "Transformers" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Hasbro, Takara, and any other related owners/distributors/producers. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters.

"Independence Day"  
>by DragonDancer5150<p>

Epilogue

_One year later…_

"Optimus, you sure it was a good idea ta invite those two?"

Optimus glanced at Ironhide and shrugged. "I don't see why not. They're here under temporary ceasefire, and Skywarp at least seems to be having fun."

"Plus," Bumblebee put in from Ironhide's other side, "it's more interesting than just watching the plumes alone, don't you think?"

That, Ironhide had to admit, was true. In fact, the others had taken to rapid betting, calling plume colors to guess which one Skywarp would appear from with each cluster and exchanging energon goodie-chips with each round. He glanced over to where the Seeker's companion, Thundercracker, stood a little apart from the rest, watching with arms folded. The mech couldn't quite hide his mild amusement at his trinemate's antics. Ironhide shook his head. They had the blue Seeker to thank for that image of Starscream from last year. Wheeljack had built a frame and generator to mount an oversized holo-image of it and hung it in his workshop. Ironically enough, the last two times the engineer'd had mishaps in his shop severe enough to do damage, that holo-poster had been one of the few things to survive unscathed.


End file.
